THE SNAKES 289 



to an interesting spectacle. The sea appeared to be- 

 come suddenly alive with brightly-banded snakes, swim- 

 ming in every direction in graceful lateral undulations. 



After the typhoons the bodies of many of these rep- 

 tiles are cast upon the beaches, a condition possibly dem- 

 onstrating that the specimens are killed by the heavy 

 seas when venturing to the surface for air. While prac- 

 tically safe in their marine existence, from extermination 

 by man, the Sea Snakes have many enemies in the shape 

 of the larger fish and the sea birds. Several captains of 

 steamers that ply through the Molucca and the Sunda 

 Straits have informed the writer that they have ob- 

 served large birds drag these serpents from the waves, 

 and flying to the rigging of the ship engage in battle 

 with the reptiles, beating them with their wings and tear- 

 ing with the beak until the prey is dead, when it is par- 

 tially eaten. 



Ten genera of the marine serpents are recognized, the 

 same comprising over fifty species. Of these but one is 

 known to occur in the waters of the New World. This 

 is the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Hydrus platurus, 

 a reptile to be seen off the west coast of Mexico, Central 

 and tropical South America. Its form is rather eel-like, 

 the body much compressed, covered above and beneath 

 with small round scales. The head is long, flattened 

 and moderately distinct from the neck. The tail is very 

 wide (vertically) and paddle-like. In its coloration the 

 species is quite striking, being jet-black or rich brown 

 above — on the upper half of the body — while the lower 

 half is bright yellow. The tail is yellow with upright 

 black bars. 



This is one of the smaller species of the marine ser- 

 pents, seldom reaching a length of more than a yard; 

 the average specimen is considerably under that length. 



